Eternity In Fear
by Darkest Ember
Summary: Tracey Donovan decides to return to Mystic Falls to visit her cousins and friends. But what she doesn't expect to see is the very vampire who caused her to leave in the first place. What will happen once she gets sucked into the reality of vampires?
1. Chapter 1

Tracey Donovan exhaled a stale breath of relief as she felt the plane skid slightly along the runway. Flying wasn't her favorite activity, but then again neither was spending the summer at her parents' house. A trip to Mystic Falls would do her some good, or at least that was the best she could hope for. It had been such a long time since her family moved away, she wasn't sure that her old friends would even remember her.

She groaned as she saw the excessively long line winding around the rental car counter. The last thing she wanted was further delaying of her arrival. She dug into her purse and pulled out a small memo notebook that she used to jot her thoughts down from time to time. Absent mindedly, she found herself writing the date 'June 1st, 2005' between the lines. Of course returning to her hometown would bring back memories…particularly the bad ones.

_Tracey was spending the night over at her cousins' house…their mom was out of town again, so it was the perfect place to hide out, pop some pills, and smoke some weed. Tracey, Vicki, and some of Vicki's stoner pals fell in and out of hazed laughter and uncontrollable babbling._

_"Hey…I'm gonna go grab me a Dr. Pepper," Tracey announced to no one in particular as she crawled up the staircase._

_The house was dark upstairs, which made Tracey wonder why they were hiding in the basement in the first place. She shrugged it off, clearly not crashing down from her buzz just yet. As she reached into the refrigerator, she heard a loud noise outside…it kind of sounded like something ran into the trashcan._

_"Ooh, maybe it's a raccoon!" she exclaimed, running outside and scanning the narrow yard._

_The only wildlife that she found in the yard was a menacing crow perched up on the twisted pole of the weathered metal fence that surrounded the yard. "Creepy…," she muttered, turning back around to walk inside, disappointed._

_But when she spun around, she found someone blocking her path. Due to her lack of awareness and lack of a full moon, she was unable to identify who was in front of her._

_"Matt, is that you?" she asked, squinting in an attempt to clear her vision._

_"Nowhere near," the stranger replied, grabbing forward and slamming her up against the vinyl siding of the house._

_"You wouldn't happen to have anything to eat would you?" he asked nodding toward the opened door._

_"I'm sure there's something in there…" she breathed out, suddenly feeling very frightened._

_"Now why would I bother walking all the way over there, when a perfectly delicious meal is sitting right in front of me," he replied, leaning in closer._

_The light in the kitchen flickered on as someone closed the door. Through the thin lining, Tracey could tell that everyone else finally took the party upstairs. But as she turned back to her attacker, she realized that she was now able to see him in this newfound light._

_He was near perfect in the looks department – vibrant blue eyes, thick dark brown hair…a face she could never forget. But his features suddenly contorted into a nightmarish appearance. His eyes turned black as small red vein-like lines crawled along his face. Fangs emerged from his gums and without a further word, he placed one hand tightly over her mouth before sinking his fangs deeply into her warm, inviting flesh._

_He didn't care whether she died or not, just so long as he was filled. Besides, he'd be leaving town soon…he needed to make this quick. Her body eventually stopped struggling against his grip and fell limp against his chest. Once he was done with her, he let her body fully drop to the ground. Blood pooled out of the gaping hole in her neck._

_He took just one moment longer to observe her face. She was pretty, honestly, he thought, such a shame she needed to come outside._

"Miss? Excuse me, miss?" the receptionist asked, growing slightly impatient.

Tracey blinked a couple times, shocked that she actually managed to get lost in that horrible memory. She apologized quickly and requested a red Mustang convertible as her rental of choice. She didn't care what the cost was, Tracey was determined to enjoy herself this summer – regardless of what might ever try to get in her way.

* * *

"Soo, what do you think the chances are that all of this weird supernatural stuff is going to die down now that school's almost over?" Bonnie sighed, as she joined Elena and Stefan at the lunch table.

Stefan allowed a small smile to appear on his face as he said, "Well, you're still going to be a witch and…I'm still going to be a vampire…"

Bonnie gasped and chucked an apple at his face, which he easily caught in time.

Elena laughed as she watched the scene. It was nice to see her best friend and boy friend finally getting along. In fact, it was even enough to allow her to forget about whatever danger may lie in the future. That can be handled later. "You know what? That may all be true, but that shouldn't stop us from enjoying ourselves," she added.

"Wow, someone's in a good mood today!" Caroline observed as she sat down at the table, Matt trailing shortly behind her.

"Are you still gonna throw your annual end of the school year party?" Bonnie asked.

Caroline grinned, "Of course I am, silly! In fact why don't you two boys go throw around a football or something? Us girls have some serious planning to do."

"Actually, I think I'm just gonna head back home. Got work tonight," Matt said, waving to the group before heading off to his truck.

Stefan also decided it would be best to return home as well…after all, he never knew what to expect from Damon.

* * *

Even though five years have passed since Tracey had been around the area, she still remembered all the back roads. The sun was setting soon though, and being alone on a relatively empty forested road didn't sound too appealing. The city finally came into view after turning one more corner. Just as I remembered it, she thought happily, driving past the Grill. But her smile disappeared as soon as it had arrived. As she rolled to a stop after reaching a red light, her eyes caught a glance of a man wearing a leather jacket…with black hair. He didn't notice her stare, and she made sure to turn the other way before he could. There's no way that could be the same monster. He was walking around while the sun was still slightly up, after all. Just to be safe, she glanced over in that direction again…but the man was no longer there.

"Just get a hold of yourself, Trace, keep the past in the past already," she told herself, turning onto Matt's street. She felt her heartbeat return to a relatively more normal pace as she grinned mischievously, imagining how shocked him and Vicki would be to see her.

Tracey parked her car on the gravel driveway leading to the back door of the house. She refused to cringe, even after passing the area where the attack happened. "This is supposed to be fun," she reminded herself, reaching down and taking the spare key out from under a nearby ceramic plant pot. Some things never change, she thought with a smile as she unlocked the door and stepped inside. As soon as she shut the door behind her, she heard the other door near the front of the house shut simultaneously. She headed over to the living room and, for the first time in five long years, came face to face with her cousin. Matt stared at the girl standing across from him in the living room. It was a face that he thought he'd never see again…especially the way her parents reacted after the…accident.

"Tracey!" he exclaimed, running to her and wrapping his arms tightly around her. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"It's summer vacation, silly…or at least for me it is," she laughed.

"Well, I figured, but I mean how are you here? Do your parents know?"

She scoffed, "It's their fault we had to move away from here in the first place. I honestly don't give a shit whether they find out or not. You wouldn't mind if I crashed here for the summer, right?"

Matt gave her a sympathetic smile. He may not have witnessed her attack, but he knew almost all too well what she was going through…after all, Vicki went through the same thing. He needed to get his mind off these bad memories.

"Of course you can stay here…it's kind of…lonely," he replied, knowing she'd just assume that his mom and Vicki ran off again. He couldn't bear to tell her about Vicki's death…not yet.

"God, Matt, with a hesitation that long I was almost worried you were gonna say no!" she laughed, playfully punching his arm.

He shrugged, "You're cute when you're all anxious like that. Anyway, I bet you're gonna want to meet up with everyone else, right? A lot of things have happened since you left…"

A smirk formed on her face. "Wait, did you and Elena finally take it to the next level?!"

He smiled – fake, but convincing nevertheless – and said, "Yeah, actually last summer we dated for a couple months, but it didn't really work out. She's with a new guy now." Matt wasn't ready to fill in all the empty holes just yet. It might be too much for Tracey to handle upon first arriving.

"Aw, I'm so sorry Matt," she replied, giving him another hug for comfort. She still couldn't believe that Elena would pick someone over Matt…from eighth grade, Tracey was sure they'd end up getting married…so then, who could be better than him?


	2. Chapter 2

Elena walked into a surprisingly empty house. It seemed lately that everyone in what was left of her family was busy being with someone else. Jeremy has been enjoying his time with his new girlfriend, in secret of course. And it would seem that Jenna and Alaric took quite a liking to each other as well. Elena was glad to see Jenna moving on, not only because Logan was a complete douche bag…but also because Logan was a douche bag with a blood lust.

She was about to pop a hot pocket in the microwave, when her phone began vibrating in her pocket. She pulled it out, surprised to see the caller ID read: Matt. "Hello?" she answered, curiously.

"Hey, Elena, glad I could get a hold of you. You'll never guess who showed up at my place today!"

Elena laughed, feeling completely stumped. "Who?"

"Tracey…you remember, my cousin?"

Elena was completely shocked, and excited all at the same time. "You're kidding! Oh my God how is she?"

"Pretty good…she looks great, and apparently managed to survive her first year at college. Anyway, I was thinking a bunch of us could meet up at the Grill and catch up? I have work tonight, but I'm sure I could stop by and visit in between breaks," he suggested.

"Yeah, of course. That would be great. See you at 7 then?"

"Seven it is." Elena slid the frozen food back into the cardboard box. Could it be that normalcy was finally returning to her life?

* * *

"Elena, what a nice surprise," Damon smirked as he opened the wooden door, knowing all too well that she was approaching.

"Hi, Damon," she said briefly, "is Stefan home?"

"Why do you ask?"

She rolled her eyes, "Ok, Damon, I appreciate you saving Stefan like you did, and I understand that you're still experiencing a lot of pain, but I can't keep the pity act going on forever."

His eyes narrowed slightly, almost nearly reaching a bitter glare. "I don't need your pity, got it?" he said quietly.

"Hey, what's going on?" Stefan asked, looking back and forth between Damon and Elena.

"Elena just invited us to go out and spend the entire night with her! So, where are we going?" he smirked.

Elena gave Damon a hard look before turning to face Stefan. "One of my oldest friends just came back to town for a visit and Matt is bringing her over to the Grill."

"Sounds like a blast!" Damon cheered, grabbing his leather jacket and leading the way out the door.

Elena and Stefan exchanged concerned glances as they walked to her car. It might not be such a good idea to unleash an emotionally unpredictable vampire on Tracey's first night back…but it looked like there wouldn't be any other way.

* * *

"Aww, you look so cute in your uniform!" Tracey teased as she got in the passenger seat of Matt's truck.

He rolled his eyes, "Hey, someone has to pay the bills around here."

Tracey stared at the passing scenery as a single question constantly penetrated her thoughts. "Matt, where are Vicki…and your mom?"

Matt glanced over at her briefly, unsure how to answer. "You know how my mom can be. You actually just missed her. She came back for a couple weeks…I…well, I wanted her gone, Trace. She was just messing everything up. And Vicki, uh, I honestly don't know where she's at right now. Jeremy was the last one to see her. Said she was dropping out of school and headed out for a drug-induced crazy trip."

"I'm sure she'll be back soon, Matt. One of these days she'll realize she's making a mistake…that's why I stopped before it got out of hand," Tracey said, recalling her days back when she was obsessed with the stuff.

"Yeah," Matt said quietly. An uncomfortable wave of silence descended upon the truck. Luckily, the Grill wasn't that far away.

It didn't take Matt long to spot a group of people over by the pool tables. "Ah, it looks like you'll get to meet Elena's new boyfriend," Matt whispered with a laugh before they approached the table.

Elena and Tracey made eye contact first, and they both screamed as they ran to approach each other. "Tracey, what are you doing here? I almost didn't believe Matt when he told me…it was too good to be true," she gushed.

Tracey shrugged, "I had enough of Pennsylvania. This is where I belong…and where I will be spending the rest of my summer vacation."

"Alright, well you guys get the party started…I'm gonna go clean off some tables," Matt announced.

Caroline weaved her way around the table and wrapped her arms around his neck. "How about a kiss?" she asked with a small smile. Matt couldn't resist the look on her face and leaned in for a kiss. Tracey felt her jaw drop as she ran over to Caroline.

"You and Matt are a thing?" Tracey asked excitedly, sincerely shocked at how much things really had changed around there.

Caroline nodded, "Yep, our two month is coming up soon!"

"Speaking of boys," Elena added, "I'd like you to meet my boyfriend. Tracey, this is Stefan."

He stepped forward with a smile and shook Tracey's hand. "Nice to meet you," he said.

"Now that all the catching up is taken care of, let's get this party started!" Tracey cheered grabbing a stick off the wall and breaking the triangular set of balls up across the pool table.

"Nice shot," Bonnie said shocked.

"What can I say, the years have made me quite talented," Tracey laughed.

Having Tracey back in town felt just like the good old times – at the beginning of high school, even way back to grade school. It was almost as if she had never left…but despite that feeling everyone all knew that was a blatant lie. Seeing her again brought back memories to everyone, except Stefan, about the whole reason why Tracey left Mystic Falls in the first place.

Her parents did a good job covering up what actually happened, and perhaps no one but Tracey could honestly say what happened. Moreover, Tracey, and Caroline for that matter, were completely out of the whole circle of knowledge when it came to the facts that Stefan and Damon were vampires…a group of starved vampires were out in hiding…countless people have died…and that the worst was still yet to come. She probably didn't even hear that Elena's parents had died.

Everything _looked_ the same, but no matter how hard they tried, they knew it wasn't, and never could be.

As the night wore on, eventually Elena, Stefan, and Tracey were left sitting in a booth, reminiscing and getting to know each other. "Remember that one time we convinced Caroline to dress up like a goth for one day of school sophomore year?" Tracey laughed.

Elena replied, "Oh my God I almost completely forgot about that! You know, I don't think we could get her to do that again, even if she was drunk."

"Yeah, I'd have to agree with you on that one…I can't even picture that."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure one of us has pictures somewhere," Tracey said.

"So, are you going to be staying with Matt?" Elena asked.

Tracey nodded, "Yeah, I just got here a couple hours ago, actually. It was weird being back at first."

Again, images of Matt's backyard flashed in Tracey's mind, and she tried to repress them by guzzling some water.

"Is it…is it hard being there?" Elena asked, concern in her eyes.

Tracey knew it was going to be addressed sooner or later, and she would've much rather preferred the "later" option. "I tell myself to forget about it. But it's so damn hard, Elena. Being there…seeing the very place where it all happened."

"You know your parents spent a lot of time talking with Sheriff Forbes and Logan…do you know what the news said the next day, after you left?"

Tracey had no idea what her parents came up with to cover the truth, so she shook her head no. Elena explained, "On his report, Logan said that…that you were near ODing and began losing touch with reality, hallucinating. They said that you thought you were being attacked, but weren't able to realize that you were attacking yourself…something along the lines of using a broken glass bottle to inflict the wounds…"

Tracey felt her face contort in horror. How could her parents make her out to be some sort of lunatic like that?! "I can't fucking believe that!" she fumed, "I know what I saw that night. A man approached me…"

"Tracey, what exactly did he do?"

Tracey felt tears lining the edges of her eyes. "There's no point in hearing what I have to say. It's…impossible."

"I know that I have no idea what's going on here, but please Tracey, it sounds like you do know what happened…it's important you tell us," Stefan pleaded. Both of them seemed truly interested.

Tracey considered telling them, thinking that maybe if she told someone else, they could help. Just as she was about to explain, another person sat down at the table. He was wearing a black leather jacket…and had those piercing blue eyes.

Tracey froze in place, staring at the man. Her body trembled in his presence as she tried desperately to assure herself that this wasn't real. She wanted to warn Elena and Stefan that they were in danger, but she could hardly breathe. She suddenly scooted out of the booth and stood on wobbly legs.

"I…have to go…I need some fresh air," she mumbled, running for the door.

Without hesitation, she stepped out into the pouring rain and leaned up against the wall. This cannot be happening to me, she thought as her tears began mixing with the raindrops.

Elena and Stefan turned to face Damon with suspicious stares. "Hey," he defended, "I didn't do anything wrong for once. Guess I better go find her and bring her back to the party." Damon stood up and walked calmly toward the exit. He didn't care for that girl's reaction and he was going to fix it.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I am so incredibly glad to see that so many people are reading this story :) I just recently joined the site, so that's why I haven't included any author's notes yet. I'd really appreciate any comments that you guys have, and I'd like to thank the 2 readers who recently left reviews! Enjoy the story :)**

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* * *

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"Stefan, don't you find all of that just a little strange…since when did Damon have a conscience?" Elena pondered, keeping her eyes locked on the door. She had a bad feeling about Damon in general, but especially so around her friend, who had no idea what had been going on in Mystic Falls since her disappearance.

Stefan fidgeted in his seat as he downed another shot of liquor. He needed to keep this newfound hunger curved around Elena. It was bothering him so much that he found he wasn't nearly as concerned about Damon as he should be. "Don't worry about it, Elena. He's been easing up lately, you know, since the council is back on the hunt," he replied. Elena nodded, despite the fact that she felt far from secure with his answer.

* * *

Most of the activity at the Grill had simmered down. Anyone that was already inside was there to stay until closing, continuously clinking their glasses and stumbling in drunken merriment. So, as you can imagine, traffic near the entrance was little to none.

The rain continued pouring down, drowning Tracey in her misery. She ignored the scraping feeling of the bricks on the wall against her skin as she slid down onto the pavement, her knees pulled tightly against her chest. The rain was cool, dripping past the collar of her shirt and causing her to shiver uncontrollably, but what could she do?

Matt was still working for another hour or so, and that monster was sitting inside there…she couldn't bear to be in the same room as him, let alone watch him innocently converse with Elena and Stefan.

The bell attached to the door jingled as the hinges creaked and the door slammed shut. Slowly, Tracey's downcast eyes shifted upward to stare right into those cool, angered icy blue eyes. She scrambled to her feet, stumbling a few times over the wet surface before ducking into the nearby alleyway. She didn't hear footsteps behind her, which seemed odd.

She paused momentarily, heaved over, hands resting on her knees as she caught her breath. She took one cautious glance over the shoulder before turning back around, only to bump right into him. Her mind began spinning as she wondered how he had gotten in front of her so quickly and unnoticed. She opened her mouth to scream, but he was prepared. In a flash of motion he had her pressed tightly between a wall and his lifeless body, a hand strongly clamped over his mouth.

"We _really_ don't need an audience," he said, rolling his eyes.

Tracey struggled in his grip even though she knew that it was pointless. It was simple, really. He came to finish the job…to finish her. Why bother delaying it any further?

"Listen to me. I'm going to remove my hand, but I expect some answers from you, got it?" he demanded.

Tracey nodded, confused as to why he wasn't just skipping to the "fun" part and ripping her throat out already. If she recalled correctly, he didn't care too much for words last time they met. Slowly, his hand slid off her face and back down to his side. "Why did you make such a big scene back there at the table?"

Tracey watched him warily, unsure why a monster like him would care about something like that. Then, she realized… _He doesn't even remember me._ "You tried to kill me four years ago!" she cried.

Damon's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he stared down at the girl trapped below him. He'd fed off so many girls in the past years, he honestly couldn't be expected to keep track. That'd just be far too much work. "Sorry," he grinned, "I don't remember you."

She found herself glaring at him, almost upset that he didn't remember. "It was a summer night…I was outside and kinda high…there was no full moon…the sky was pitch black. You came out of nowhere and pinned me up against my cousin's house, chewing into my neck," she recalled.

Damon racked his memory. He often found that if he was given a proper description, he could recall the event in question. A smirk cracked across the corner of his lips as the memory was retrieved. "Ah, now I remember. Well, consider me impressed," he leaned in closer to her, "I took a lot of blood from you."

Tracey felt the anger well up inside her as she resumed her struggles. "I hate you!" she shouted, "It's your fault that we had to move away. It's your fault that my life has been completely disrupted!" Damon wore a sympathetic face, pretending like he actually cared, which only angered her further.

Although, there was something about this girl that truly sparked his interest. Usually, the only way a human would live after his attack would be if he allowed it. He was really hungry and in a rush that night four years ago. He was almost positive he'd taken a majority of her blood. Regardless of how she survived, the fact of the matter was she was here now, which clearly is a sign that he shouldn't be finished with her just yet. Maybe this little rendezvous is exactly what Damon needed to take his mind off Katherine…and Elena.

Damon reached forward, pushing a few stray strands of hair out of Tracey's face. He maintained his eye contact with her, ready to compel. "You're going to drop this little grudge you have against me and instead of hating me, you're going to fall madly in love with me," Damon ordered, pupils dilating as he stared into Tracey's innocent eyes.

Tracey repeated the order in a zombie like trance and stood frozen in place as Damon leaned down for a kiss. Just as their lips were about to touch, Tracey placed her hands on Damon's chest and shoved him forward, finally allowing some space between them before shoving her foot into his knee, faulting his perfect balance. Damon glared at her, eyes turning black instantly. _Why didn't she do what I told her? _

"Look," Tracey breathed, "I don't know what your name is, or why you're hanging around Elena, but I do know what you are. I know how to fight your powers."

The minute Damon registered her words, he instantly knew that she had Vervain on her somewhere. His eyes rapidly scanned her body, searching for some sort of jewelry, like Elena's necklace. He couldn't find any at that time, but it was irrelevant. He was going to have his way with her rather she liked it or not.

"You know," Damon smirked, "just because I can't compel you doesn't mean I can't use my strength."

He reached forward and slammed her body onto the cold, rough cement. She knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to get her to fall into submission, to follow the whole vampire is greater than human equation, but she refused…not after last time. She struggled using her wobbling arms as support to get back up off the ground.

Her fear was still present deep inside, but she couldn't let it get the best of her. Plus, if Damon saw her fear, who knows what he'd do. She forced herself up onto her knees, glaring defiantly at Damon. "I don't know what you're trying to do, but it's not going to work," she spat. Damon took this as an invitation to try harder.

The rain poured down harder now, making it almost near impossible for Tracey to keep a close enough watch on Damon. "I'm really loving this new attitude of yours," he whispered suddenly from behind her, "but I think it's time to go home."

In a swift move, Damon had rammed her head into the wall knocking her out cold. Luckily, the rain was pouring hard enough to wash away the blood. There'd be plenty of time for that later tonight, especially if his baby brother and girlfriend spend the night elsewhere. Damon hid Tracey's body between two trashcans before running back inside.

* * *

It's been twenty minutes now, and still Elena and Stefan remained alone in the booth. Bonnie had long since left, and Caroline disappeared somewhere near the bar with Matt. The bell at the door rang out, and almost immediately Elena's head spun around, only to find a soaking wet Damon standing in the entrance. He approached the table with a contrived look of hardened concern.

"Did you find her?" Elena asked.

He nodded, "She was just outside the whole time. I think she may be catching a cold or something from being out in the cold so long. I'm going to take her back home."

"But, we took my car remember?" Elena pointed out.

Damon rolled his eyes and pointed to himself, "Vampire, remember?"

"Damon, can I trust you with her? For a minute there, I could've sworn that you were the reason she got up and left in the first place," Elena murmured.

"Of course you can trust me," he replied quickly, not allowing room for further discussion. "You two kids have a good night," he added before retreating.

Elena had her suspicions…and if Stefan had been in his normal state of mind, surely he'd realize what was about to take place. But that wasn't the case…

Damon returned to the alley and noticed that Tracey's body had slumped over, sprawled across the ground since he last saw her. It was in this new lighting that a small glint caught his eye. Her shirt had crept up slightly, sticking to her skin from being so drenched. There was a bejeweled ghost dangling in front of her belly button…it was a piercing.

Damon grinned in satisfaction as he made the connection. He'd found her Vervain supply. "I don't think you'll be needing this," he laughed, gently removing the jewelry and draping her over his shoulder as he sped off into the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Tracey felt very confused as she felt someone's arms wrapped around her and a soft, comfortable surface meeting her back. Her eyes fluttered open slowly as she took in her settings. One of the sexiest men she'd ever seen in her life was hovering over her with a dashing smirk on his face and amusement bringing his vibrant blue eyes to life.

Wait a minute…her memory was quickly returning…that wasn't a sexy man…that was a monster! She shrieked as she scooted upward on the couch, banging her head into the wooden edge of the armrest.

Damon shook his head. "Doctor's orders say you need rest. You took a pretty bad hit to the head."

Tracey was already beginning to hate his dark, inappropriate sense of humor. She glared defiantly at him as she sat up in a more comfortable position. "How did I get here?" she demanded.

Damon laughed, "You're just full of surprises, aren't you? Like I would ever take a demand from you."

"You know what? I don't care what you had in mind for tonight. I'm leaving!" she declared, shoving her way past him and heading to the foyer, which should be hard to find for a girl who'd never been in the house and who had a head injury…

Using his vampire speed, Damon flew ahead of her and leaned up against the large wooden door, blocking her from her own freedom. "How were you able to find your way to the door so easily?" he asked, confronting the issue head on.

Her eyebrows furrowed briefly, almost as if she were unsure whether she should actually give him that information. "You don't deserve to know anything about me," she growled, trying to get past his strong build. Clearly, he didn't have a problem blocking her feeble little human attempts. He would almost even consider it to be…cute.

"Why must humans be so slow at comprehending things?" he asked dramatically.

Once again a look of confusion plagued Tracey's mind as her brain raced to try and solve his puzzle. He rolled his eyes, growing impatient and greatly desiring some fun. "You can't have the upper hand against me now that you don't have 'Casper' anymore," he mocked, finishing off with a malicious smirk and mischievous eyes.

Tracey's eyes grew in size as a look of horror washed over her face, instantly paling her complexion. That was her last defense! She glanced down to her exposed stomach, noticing that her bejeweled ghost wasn't dangling in front of her bellybutton anymore.

"Do I need to…force you to answer the question?" he asked with an amused tone, savoring the look of regret and fear seemingly permanently etched onto her face.

Cautiously, she stared back up at him and replied, "No, I'll tell you…"

Damon nodded and grabbed her arm roughly leading her back into the room with the couches and fire. "I always was a fan of story time," he smirked, staring intently at the girl, rather curious as to what she had to say…how she knew about this place…and the Vervain.

* * *

Four large mugs rested on the table in front of Elena. She needed something to calm her down – since Stefan seemed to be far too distracted to do that – so she resorted to drinking tea. Normally, she would only resort to the tangy beverage when she had a terribly sore throat, which goes to show how bad this situation had become.

Matt was just about ready to clock out for the night, so Caroline headed over to the booth to chat while she waited. "Where'd Tracey go?" she asked, scanning the Grill.

Elena sighed, "I think she's with Damon now. He…found her outside. She ran out for some reason when we started talking about her, well, you know…the accident."

Caroline scrunched up her nose in disapproval. "Are you sure letting Damon of all people take her was a good idea? I think after these past couple months we can all tell it was a vampire who attacked her."

"Wait, when…when did this happen?" Stefan inquired, slightly slurring his words. And it was about time too…Elena had watched in borderline horror as her boyfriend downed far too many shots for him to still even be conscious.

"I think it was like four years ago," Caroline replied, trying to recall the exact date.

"But, Damon and I weren't in Mystic Falls at that time…and all the…the Tomb Vampires were still locked up," Stefan mumbled.

Elena's eyes darkened in concern. "Could it be possible that there are more vampires that we aren't even aware of?"

The only answer the three of them received was an absolutely nerve-wracking silence.

Stefan stood up abruptly and was a little off balance. "Hey, Elena, I think I'm just going to head home on my own. I feel terrible letting you s-see me like this," he mumbled, keeping his eyes locked on the hardwood floor below.

"It's not a problem for me to drive you home, Stefan," Elena said reassuringly, intertwining her arms with his to help him walk a little straighter.

"No," he shook his head vehemently, "please, Elena, just give me some time. I'll…I'll call you tomorrow, ok?"

Elena backed up, respecting his wishes though not really agreeing with the matter. "Alright," she said dryly, watching him stumble out the door.

Elena said her goodbyes to Matt and Caroline and headed out into the parking lot, alone and feeling an odd sense of betrayal.

* * *

Running as far as he could into the woods, Stefan paused, angrily taken his rage out on an innocent tree trunk nearby. He didn't like who he was becoming…and he refused to let Elena witness this. It was already bad enough that she had to find out about the whole vampire business. He couldn't let her know about this too.

The sound of crunching leaves and laughter registered easily in his mind, thanks to his supersonic hearing. He quickly determined the location of the foolish couple, hoping to have a good time in the middle of the woods.

Stefan didn't think…his mind went blank as his eyes turned black and his fangs hungrily descended. He leaped down from the tree he was perched in and attacked the unsuspecting man from behind, savagely biting into the flesh and digging until piercing the vein and letting the wonderful taste of human blood refresh his deprived taste buds.

How could he have gone so long without this wonderful taste? It seemed near impossible…he wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't been the moron who'd endured it in the first place. The man's body dropped to Stefan's feet with some blood still lingering around the wound.

The woman, who had been reaching into the trunk of their vehicle for something, spun around and came face to face with Stefan, looking near demonic with blood covering his lips and chin, eyes still as black as night.

Her eyes narrowed and her mouth was opening, but all of it seemed to be happening in slow motion to Stefan and his vampiric speed. In a flash, he was behind her with a hand firmly wrapped around her jaw and his teeth happily between her layers of soft flesh.

Eventually, her body went limp in his arms and she breathed her last breath before she too fell to the ground. Stefan threw both of the bodies into the fire that had been prepared and savored the smell of burning flesh before heading back to the boarding house.

No one could ever know about what happened tonight…if Elena ever found out….

* * *

Tracey tried to keep her stare focused anywhere other than looking into Damon's eyes. She didn't really feel comfortable opening up to this evil being, but it's not like she had much of a choice.

"After y-you attacked me that night, I was taken to the hospital so that they could stop the bleeding and help me recover. I know what I saw that night, even if I was a little high, but no one believed me…although the sheriff seemed to be interested in what I had to say, my parents wouldn't allow it. They were too embarrassed from the 'scandal' so they decided to move north to Pennsylvania. Before we left, a guy named Zach Salvatore contacted me and invited me to this boarding house. He said that he believed my story and showed me his Vervain garden, explained how it could be used against vampires. That night, I decided to go get my bellybutton pierced and made sure that both the original piece and my newest ghost piece were filled with Vervain."

Damon shouldn't have been surprised. Zach always was paranoid of vampire attacks…leave it to him to help her out. "Good story," he muttered.

Tracey ignored his pointless comment and realized that Zach should be somewhere around here since this was his house. "Where is Zach, anyway?" she asked.

Damon grinned. "Oh, you didn't hear? I killed him. And if you're not careful," he paused as he leaned in close toward Tracey, "I just might end up killing you, too."

He took great satisfaction in hearing her heartbeat so roughly against her ribcage. He knew that at some point he would have to compel her to forget that he was the one who attacked her, for obvious reasons, but for now he couldn't deny it. He was thoroughly enjoying the effect that he had on her.

But, regardless of all the "fun" they were having together, Damon knew that Stefan would be returning soon – he could sense it.

He really didn't plan on really using Tracey as a sex slave. That was one thing he learned from his time spent seducing Elena – that was something he wanted to be real, something he could easily do in time without compulsion.

However, things needed to be done around the house before Stefan returned…things that would be perfect for his new temporary human slave to do. Tracey suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable under Damon's intense gaze.

And she had every reason to feel that way, especially with the horrible plan Damon had in mind.


	5. Chapter 5

Stefan's mind had been voided utterly blank as he sprinted through the forest, angrily shoving tree limbs out of his way. He couldn't stop seeing _red_. It was everywhere he looked, and deep down inside he knew that this was bad. Very bad.

He slowed his pace as the boarding house finally came into view. He didn't need to rush in there, well, because the blood would be waiting for him. He didn't need to prowl or stalk. It was sitting comfortably in the freezer. And the best part of it all was that Damon didn't have a clue. Or at least, that's what Stefan thought as he quietly slipped through the bulky front door.

* * *

Damon was practically an evil master mind by trade. Everywhere he went, trouble and death almost always followed hand in hand. Of course he knew that his baby brother was struggling with this newly resurrected hunger for human blood. And that is the very reason why he was offering Tracey such a bone chilling smile.

Tracey knew that something wasn't right…something was different with this homicidal vampire that wasn't quite present before. It seemed as if her heartbeat would never be allowed to return back to its normal pacing, at least not while Damon was in the vicinity.

"Since we're…_friends_ now, I figured I'd ask you for a little favor," Damon said slowly, struggling to emit the word 'friends' to a human he just recently met.

Tracey scoffed as she backed away from the approaching vampire, extending her arms to hold onto to things for a rather necessary balance. "We are not friends," she spat, converting her very apparent fear into anger.

Damon laughed and shook his head as if he'd heard the funniest thing, even though Tracey's voice held no intended humor. "I was really hoping it wouldn't come to this, Tracey, but you seem to be giving me no other choice," he sighed, as if it would be a burden to compel a human.

Tracey quickly ran out of space to back up into, which took her by surprise given the large size of the room they were in. Damon would've been a few feet away from her in that moment, but all sanity and logic disappeared the minute he used his supernatural speed to close in on her and pin her roughly up against the wall.

A gasp of shock mixed with a bit of pain escaped Tracey's lips as she stared up at him with widened eyes. "Why can't you just leave me alone?" she cried, trembling in his grasp.

"Because that," he replied, using his thumbs to wipe away her tear drops, "would take away all of my fun."

Tracey knew she was overpowered in this case. She was scared and wanted nothing more than to run all the way back to Matt's place and wake up thinking this was all a dream. But Damon wouldn't allow that. He enjoyed her suffering far too much. It helped him cope with all his losses and recently inflicted wounds, even if he wasn't willing to directly admit that.

Damon cupped her face between both of his hands as he stared deeply into her eyes, forcing her to stare at nothing but his insanely bright sapphire eyes. "You're going to go into the basement and bring up as much Vervain as you possibly can and fill Stefan's room with it. Hide it in every possible place so that he doesn't know it's there. Then, once he returns you're going to lure him into the room," he commanded.

Suddenly, it felt as if an on/off switch had been clicked into the off position in Tracey's mind as she felt some foreign existence take care of her movements. Stefan was Elena's boyfriend, and he seemed like a really great guy. Clearly, if Stefan lived here as well and if Damon wanted Vervain in his room, it was safe to say that Stefan was a vampire as well. Regardless, Tracey didn't want to do anything that could hurt him.

As she journeyed what should've been a rather unfamiliar path into the Salvatore basement, she wondered whether or not Elena knew about Stefan's secret. So many things had happened in Mystic Falls since she'd left that she wasn't really sure what was going on. She made a brief mental note to visit the high school tomorrow and ask Elena for the missing pieces. Well…if she was ever allowed to leave this place…

* * *

Elena crawled hesitantly under the covers and rested her head on the pillow. _I'm safe in my room_, she thought, _but I can't quite say the same for Stefan or Tracey._ She began to reach for her diary, but decided against it. After all, what could writing about the people you were worried about do to help them?

Instead, she closed her eyes grudgingly and let sleep overtake every single worry that was keeping her heartbeat as rapid as it was. Unfortunately, Elena would be having anything but a decent dream tonight.

* * *

Tracey knew the stronghold powers that Vervain seemed to have over all vampires, and she wasn't about ready to just deplete the entire supply. It was evident that Damon had her under some kind of mind control, but thankfully he never _specified_ an exact amount of Vervain, which meant in the morning, there would still be some for the taking.

"Finished so soon?" Damon asked, suddenly materializing out of nowhere. Tracey jumped a little at the rather unexpected appearance.

"Yeah, it wasn't that hard," she replied with a subtle eye roll.

"I almost wish you would've made your grand return to Mystic Falls sooner. I could've used your help," he whispered into her ear, once again removing all space between them.

Oh, how he savored the sound of her rapidly beating heart echoing in his head and the shudder that crept across her skin. If only he could have just one bite…

The earlier events of the evening seemed like an ancient blur in Stefan's mind as he began ascending the stairs to his room. His look of guilt-filled anger quickly changed into a look of surprised confusion as he stared at his brother and the new girl he'd met earlier. What was her name…Tracey? Yeah, that was it.

"Uh, am I missing something?" Stefan inquired as he continued to stare at the odd scene.

"Oh, Stefan no need to be jealous! You're not the only vampire who can have a little fun with a human," Damon laughed casually, feigning ignorance at the sight of blood lightly staining Stefan's teeth.

"H-hi there, Stefan," Tracey greeted quietly, feeling her body move toward him unwillingly. "I guess since it's so late I'm…uh…staying here. Could I borrow a t-shirt or something? These jeans are a little uncomfortable."

Stefan blinked a few times, bewildered. He felt the need to be concerned for Tracey, especially since she didn't know what Damon was capable of. But, for now, he had his own problems to worry about. "Sure," he nodded, completing his trek up the stairs and beginning to lead Tracey into his room.

Damon hadn't been lying when he'd told Stefan that their powers were drastically enhanced when they fed on a proper diet. It had been so long since Stefan could recall the feeling of true strength and power coursing through his veins. And it arrived just in time.

"What do you think you're doing?" His voice was darker than usual as he planted his feet into the ground, mere inches from entering his room. Everything made sense now. Damon got to Tracey before she could figure anything out. He had her under his compulsion. And, there was an insane amount of Vervain in his room.

Tracey found herself backing away from the enraged vampire. "I…I didn't want to. I'm sorry, Stefan," she pleaded.

Stefan spun around with a demonic look on his face. Tracey cried out as the memories of the night Damon attacked her replayed in her mind. Stefan was wearing the same face – those horrible black veins below his eyes…those darkened eyes…hungry fangs.

Losing control, Stefan lunged forward, shoving Tracey hard in a backwards direction. Her eyes squeezed shut as she slammed into Damon's chest. For some strange reason, Damon hadn't let go of her…even after he broke her fall. Then Stefan began approaching in predatory fashion.

Damon couldn't really say that he was happy to see his plan fail miserably; then again, he couldn't really say he was upset either. Tracey was trapped between both Salvatore brothers, and Damon liked where this was going.

"Well, well, well, Stefan finally turned to the dark side," Damon smirked as he watched his brother over Tracey's shoulder.

A growl erupted from Stefan's throat. He was angry…at himself…and at  
Damon for finding out his secret. Without thinking, he gripped Tracey's throat entirely erasing her existence as he bit down into her throat, causing her constant squirming to stop. She had fallen numb with shock. She'd only just met Stefan, and even she could tell that he was supposed to be the good guy.

Her blood tasted absolutely delicious as it flowed freely down his throat, quenching his ever present thirst. Damon, on the other hand, never really was one to just sit around and watch. He grinned to himself as he pulled back on Tracey's hair to allow more flesh to show. Her scream escalated in pitch as he followed his brother's example and sunk his teeth in as deep as he could in one single bite.

Tracey's body dropped to the floor as both brothers continued licking away the dripping blood from her neck until consciousness finally left her. "Good thing she's spending the night here," Damon grinned, flashing his blood-soaked teeth, "because that will give us some time to make a good excuse. Wouldn't want your precious Elena hearing about you feeding off of her best friend, would you?"

Stefan's heart sank as he carefully leaned down and carried Tracey's body down to one of the spare bedrooms. Things were officially out of control, and he felt completely helpless, especially knowing that Damon knew everything.

* * *

All while Stefan as tending to their midnight snack, a brilliant idea formulated in Damon's mind. Sure, he could erase Tracey's memory of him ever attacking her…but that didn't mean that he couldn't replace his role as attacker with someone else. Someone like…Stefan.

* * *

**Author's Note: hey everyone, i just wanted to thank you all for taking the time to read my story! it means a lot to me and of course comments/alerts are just as great :) comments especially would be greatly appreciated...ive had a very rough couple of weeks which is why this update took so long in the first place. the next chapter is gonna have some scandal in it, so get ready! lol **


	6. Chapter 6

Tracey had always been a rather active dreamer, especially when nightmares occurred. She had a series of bad and dangerous experiences involving sleepwalking and sleeptalking.

Her mind was in a wild frenzy suddenly. All she kept thinking about was that night years ago in Matt's backyard. Although the event itself remained the same, the horrific man before her looked different.

The haunting black eyes…the viciously sharp teeth…but this time the man that stood before her was Stefan, not Damon. Stefan was the man who attacked her. Stefan is the monster.

Stefan is…

Suddenly, she fell off the bed and onto the hardwood floor. Her eyes bolted open as she took in her unfamiliar surroundings. "Where am I?" she mumbled, clutching her aching skull as she crawled back up onto the bed.

"You're at my place," a voice said from a corner of the room. Damon stepped forward with a smirk as he noted Tracey's confusion toward him. She knew who he was…but something didn't quite register in her mind.

Hadn't he been the one Salvatore brother who she believed was the man who attacked her that evening? What happened to her hatred? How come all she felt toward him now was wariness and curiosity?

Damon quickly grew tired of the inquisitive look she was displaying. "Here, let me help," he offered, rolling his eyes slightly as he speedily ran downstairs to grab her wet clothes from the previous night out of the dryer.

"Uh, thanks I guess," she mumbled, taking the clothes from this strange person.

He was about to say something else, but the doorbell rang out shrilly in the house. "Guess I better go answer that," he shrugged, speeding back downstairs.

Elena wasn't sure what to do. She couldn't get a hold of anyone via cell phone, so she decided that she had no choice but to ditch first period and head to the Salvatore place. She was sure that Alaric would let her off the hook just this once for missing his class.

Elena felt her heart skip a couple beats every now and then as she began walking toward the front porch of the boarding house. She knew something was wrong, and logically, that would explain why she felt so…scared going into her own boyfriend's house.

She gave the bell beside the front door a strong tug and waited for someone – hopefully Stefan – to answer. Damon answered the door with a broad grin. "Elena, what a nice surprise. Wait a minute…today's a weekday. Shouldn't you be at school?" he taunted.

"Damon, where's Tracey? I haven't heard from her since you said you'd take her home," she replied, shoving her way inside.

Damon closed the door behind her and watched her walk so gracefully into the nearby parlor. "Nothing to worry about. Her and I had a fine time last night, honestly. She's upstairs right now."

Elena knew that Damon hardly ever considered time spent with humans to be "fun" unless he was feeding on them…or toying with them. "Damon, what did you do?" she commanded firmly.

"Why don't you ask her yourself," he smirked, knowing that Tracey was about to descend the stairs without even having to turn around and see.

Elena felt slightly relieved when she saw Tracey approaching them – but she stopped cold halfway toward the stairs. Both sides of Tracey's neck looked like they had been incredibly mauled – so much so that it didn't quite make sense for her to even be alive due to the blood loss alone.

"Oh my God, Tracey, what happened to you?" Elena cried, freeing herself from her shocked stupor.

Tracey shook her head a few times as her brow remained furrowed displaying her deep confusion. "I-I don't remember, Elena. Everything seems so messed up…"

Elena glared over at Damon, knowing all too well what probably happened between them. Damon clearly used his compulsion on her before making her into a meal. Elena felt a sudden, thick amount of self-hatred explode inside of her for her stupidity in trusting Tracey in Damon's care, of all people.

She changed her course of direction and headed toward Damon with burning anger and determination. She angrily shoved his chest with most of her strength, disregarding the fact that it hardly had any desired effect on him.

"You better fix this right now, or else I'll–."

He leaned forward, staring at her dangerously. "You'll what, Elena? Surely you wouldn't _kill_ me. Look, if it makes you feel better I can fix Tracey's boo boos."

He slid past her, purposely causing his shoulder to slam into hers. He casually bit into his wrist and grabbed Tracey's hand, pulling her into him. He shoved his bloody wrist into her mouth and forced her to take in the blood. Within seconds, her neck was back to normal, without any sign that she had ever been so brutally chewed on in the first place.

"Are you okay?" Elena whispered, carefully hugging Tracey while glaring at Damon over her shoulder.

"Y-yeah I guess. Ugh, Elena, my head is killing me! I can hardly remember anything after we met up at the Grill last night. All my memories feel like they've been tampered with."

Elena was about to continue her interrogation, but stopped short when she saw Stefan enter the room. Tracey suddenly shrunk back in fear as she stared at Stefan with a horrified expression.

"It was you," she mumbled, "you attacked me that night…?"

Elena was confused. At first, it sounded like Tracey was accusing Stefan, but then it sounded more like she wasn't so sure about it. Elena did, however, understand that Tracey was referring to the night she was attacked in Matt's backyard.

She didn't understand why she thought it was Stefan, though. Stefan wasn't even in Mystic Falls at that time… Stefan's face held a horrified mixture of regret and confusion.

"Tracey, what are you talking about?" he asked, addressing Tracey but glaring at Damon knowing that he had something to do with all of this.

"Why does everyone feel the need to be giving me such hurtful stares this morning?" Damon cried out, feigning the feeling of hurt.

"Oh, let's see…you basically kidnap my friend, drink her blood, and mess with her memory," Elena snarled.

"Hey," Damon held his hands out in defense, "for what it's worth, she _enjoyed_ it…and I think that clearly Stefan is the one who should be the recipient of the death glare today, I mean look at how he's caused Tracey to totally shrink back into the corner."

Stefan couldn't believe this was happening. At first, he thought all he had to worry about was Damon telling Elena that he had bitten Tracey first, but now…now Tracey is so afraid of him for some reason, and he was almost positive that it didn't have to do with last night.

"Y-you just stay away from me," Tracey said, hiding behind Damon.

"Stefan…did you do something to her?" Elena asked quietly.

It was then that Stefan realized he was royally screwed in both cases. Damon made it so that it wouldn't even have to be him who revealed the truth.

"E-Elena, it was Stefan who bit me first…Damon joined in after," Tracey explained, "and my mind is telling me that it was in fact Stefan who attacked me in Matt's yard…but that part I feel may not hold as much validity for some reason."

Elena's eyes widened in shock and horror as she stared at the man she thought she loved. This had become more than just him chewing on Tracey…it also meant that he'd been drinking human blood this entire time, without her even knowing!

She stalked over to her boyfriend and slapped him as hard as she could across the face, not really caring that it probably wouldn't hurt him as much as she'd wish. The pale red mark that had appeared on his face vanished in seconds and was instead replaced with an intense hurt look.

"Elena, I –."

"Just stop, Stefan. Stop with the lies and secrets. Tracey and I are leaving," she said firmly, grabbing Tracey's arm and leading her out of the boarding house.

* * *

After the sound of an engine revving up was heard outside the door, Damon closed in on his brother, mockingly applauding. "What have you done, Damon?" Stefan asked with a pained expression on his face.

"No, brother, what have _you_ done? How could you have so heartlessly attacked that poor girl twice?"

Stefan's eyes seemed to pierce Damon's as he searched for answers. "It was you, wasn't it?" he spoke softly, "you attacked her back then…and used last night's weakness to mess with her memories."

"We have a winner!" Damon smirked cruelly. "Now that the new girl has her fear of me under control, I can really start to have some fun."

Stefan was relieved that Tracey would be going back to Matt's tonight. But regardless, he needed to make this right. Damon had no right to be tormenting her like this.

* * *

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Elena asked worriedly as she parked her car in the school's parking lot.

Sure, no one would really take class seriously now that summer vacation was just a week or so away, but that didn't ease Elena's mind.

Tracey nodded as she got out of the car. "If I went back to Matt's place, I'd just be alone until he got back. The last thing I want is to be alone right now."

Tracey followed Elena on and off through her classes, occasionally stopping every now and then to catch up with a teacher she used to have. So many people gave her sympathetic smiles, which were honestly starting to bother her. She was almost positive that the bandages on her neck didn't help her situation.

It was noon now, which meant Tracey had to find her way back to the cafeteria to meet up with Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie for lunch.

Noticing that none of them noticed her amongst the masses of people walking around, Tracey smirked to herself as she sneaked up behind her friends. Hey, just because she had a horrific night/morning did not mean her afternoon had to be ruined.

Just as she was closing in, she ended up freezing in her tracks as she caught wind of the conversation they were having, assuming no one was listening to them.

"I feel so bad for Matt. First his mom makes out with Tyler, then they find Vicki's body in a shallow grave," Bonnie sighed.

Caroline cringed as she recalled stumbling down the slippery hill and discovering the corpse in the first place. "What the hell? Is Vicki _dead_?" Tracey demanded, slamming herself down into the last available seat at the table.

Everyone looked surprised, but unfortunately it wasn't by her own design. "Y-you didn't know?" Elena asked.

"I was just under the impression that Vicki ran away or something. Why would Matt not tell me about that?" she replied, suddenly feeling betrayed. Actually, it wasn't just Matt…everyone at this table knew about Vicki's death, yet no one cared to tell her that her own cousin was dead.

"He probably didn't tell you yet because he wanted to protect you. We haven't seen you in so long…he didn't want to ruin your time here."

"Well, it's a little too late for that," she spat.

* * *

Tracey felt tears stream down her face as she ran out into the school's parking lot dead set on nothing more than retrieving her things from Matt's house and finding another place of lodging.

Tracey groaned as her tired legs continued pushing forward, allowing her body to keep moving down the main road. She could only imagine the crazy looks people would give her as they drove by. But that was honestly the last thing on her mind right now.

Matt's house was quiet and empty when she arrived, as she expected, considering Matt was still in school, totally unaware of her anger. She made her way to the spare room and shoved all her belongings back into the duffle bag.

With one last look at the house she _thought_ she knew, she went out the front door and back down the long road, having no clue what to do or where to go.

She expected Elena or someone at the table to tell Matt eventually, and she refused to wait around and see. It was close to 2:30 now and the sun was directly overhead.

Just when exhaustion about overcame here, a car pulled up next to her at a slowed speed. She heard the sound of the window rolling down and a voice ask.

"Need a ride?"


End file.
